Rolling mill feed tensioning device



Filed Dec. 28, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 21, 195 0 c. O 'BRUEST| E I 2,501,024

ROLLING MILL FEED TENSIONING DEVICE March 21, 1950 c. o. 'BRUESTLE 2,501,024

mums um. FEED musxoumc navxcs 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 28, 1944 f'zven arf A e W 6 m 3, 0 Z W C March 21 1950 c.o. BRUESTLE ROLLING MILL FEED TENSIONING DEVICE Filed Dec/28. 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 QNN Carl ueJiZ e I March 21, 1950 c R T E 2,501,024

Filed Dec. 28, 1944 ROLLING um. FEED TENSIONING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 March 2%, 1195@ c. o. BRUESTLE ROLLING MILL FEED TENSIONING DEVICE Filed Dec. 28, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 21, 1950 ROLLING MILL FEED TEN SIONING DEVICE I Carl 0.,Bruestle, Rahway, N. J assignor to Borg- Warner Corporation, Chicago, lll., a corporation of Illinois Application December 20, 1944, SerialNo. 570,075

Claims. 1

In its broadest aspect the present invention relates to a rolling mill feed.- Specifically the improvements embody an arrangement for forming a metal strip from a round wire into a ribbonlike weft thread or strand and to create tension on the strand during the rolling operation. The flat strand is for delivery to the weaving head of a machine which produces a woven screen. The

screen contemplated herein comprises a mesh or fabric havin horizontal members of louver-like form to exclude direct sunlight. While the arrangement is described herein as operating upon a metal wire, it is apparent the strand may be of any material desired.

In the present apparatus, a wire strand of relative small gauge and preferably round in cross-section is guided to forming or flattening members of the rolling mill while trained alternately over and under a plurality of eccentrically adjustable pulleys, and then advanced to the mill assembly. The forming or flattening members of the mill preferably comprise pressure rollers arranged with their peripheries in clos proximity to each other, the space between the peripheries predetermining the thickness of the strip that is to provide the ribbon-like wefts of the woven screen. After being flattened in the milling assembly the ribbon-like strand, which is almost tissue thin and is extremely liable to become marred or distorted, is drawn away from the forming rollers by a take-off which comprises opposing rollers that frictionally engage the thin strip. These take-off rollers are geared together, one of said rollers constituting a driving member that is flexibly or yieldably coupled to a driving shaft thereby to maintain a desirable amount of tension upon the ribbon-like strip being withdrawn from the forming rollers.

It is one of the principal objects of this invention to simplify the construction of a feed for a rolling mill or forming assembly such as contemplated herein and to improve the efliciency, operation and dependability of such assembly.

Also it is one of the principal objects hereof to provide a rolling mill for rapidly producing a thin ribbon-like strand for a weaving machine;

Another principal object of the present invention is to provide a take-0E arrangement for a rolling mill that is adapted to maintain proper tension on a thin ribbon-like strand to prevent distortion of such a strand, whereby the strand is delivered to the weaving head of a machine for producing a woven screen having ribbon-like wefts.

Additional objects, aims and advantages of the invention contemplated herein will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after the construction and operation of the present arrangement is understood from the within description. It is preferred to accomplish the numerous objects of this invention and to practice the same in substantially the manner hereinafter dmcribed and as more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Reference is now made to the accomn min drawings that form a part or this specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan of a forming or rolling mill arrangement showing the feed and tension devices thereon;

Fig. 1A is a perspective view of a piece of woven screen produced on the weaving machine on which the improvements are installed;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan of the left-hand portion of the structure disclosed in Fig. 1, comprising the guiding and pre-shaping devices;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section, of the pre-shaping assembly, taken along the plane of line 4-4 on Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section along the plane of line t-5 on Fig. 2, and also on the plane of line 5-4 on Fig. 6, and drawn to an enlarged scale;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section, along the plane of line 6-6 on Fig. -5 and looking down;

Fig. 7 is a vertical axial section of the flattener assembly, the View taken along the plane of line 'i-i on Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical section of the take-off devices, the view being taken along the plane of line 8-8 on Fig. 5 and enlarged.

The drawings are to be understood as being more or less of a schematic character for the purpose of disclosing a typical or preferred embodiment of the improvements contemplated herein, and in these drawings like reference characters identify the same parts in the difierent views.

Referring first to Fig. 1 it will be seen the strand A comprising the weft of the woven screen is received from the spool by a grooved pulley l0, then is trained successively over and under a plurality of grooved tension pulleys l2 having eccentrically arranged trunnions l3 and then passes through a tapered guide tube i4 (Figs. 2 and 3) which is close to and directs the strand to the pre-shaping assembly IS. The pre-shaped weft strand A then passes through a fiattener assembly i8 that forms it into a thin ribbon-like strand, from which it is withdrawn by a tensioning and take-off assembly 20 for delivery to a slack table 22 having a delivery mouth 24 to discharge the flat strand A into a delivery tube' 28 from which the strand is taken off and intermittently fed as the wefts of the mesh or screen being woven on the machine.

The intermittent weft feed is accomplished generally by means of rapidly rotated feeding rollers 28 having geared driving connection with each other. The spindle of one of these weft feed rollers carries a pinion 30 meshing with a segmental rack 32 which is reciprocably mounted on a pivot 34. A continuously rotatable crank 38 drives the rack 32 through the medium of a pitman rod 38 pivotally connected at its ends to the crank and rack as shown in Fig. 1 and a suitable one-way clutch device (not shown) on the spindle carrying pinion 30 is effective to drive feeding rollers 28 in one direction and prevent rotation in the opposite direction.

In the operation of the arrangement above briefly described, the tensioning and take-ofi-assembly 20 is preferably rotated at a speed proportionately faster than the flattener assembly I8 thereby exerting a pull on the ribbon-like weft strand to prevent slack, and a friction clutch assembly 38, comprising part of the driving mechanism, yieldably tensions the pull on the strand to prevent breakage thereof.

The details of this cluch assembly 39, shown in Figs.5 and 8, comprise a driven shaft 40 journaled in an anti-friction upper bearing 42 and a floating lower bearing 44, and a sprocket 48, loose on said shaft, is rotated by a chain 48 drivingly connected to a sprocket 50 on a driving shaft 52. This latter shaft 52 carries a worm wheel 54 meshed with a worm gear 56 on a power shaft 58 that is preferably actuated by an electric. motor (not shown) or other suitable prime mover. The

loose sprocket 46 rests on a stop washer 60 and is anchored to a cup shaped clutch member 62, the flat radial inner face of the latter being opposed by the other clutch member or pressure plate 64. Friction pieces 66, interposed between the confronting faces of clutch members 62 and 64.

are held in place by an annulus 68 connected by pins I to clutch member 62. The clutch member or pressure plate 64 has a hub I2 keyed to shaft 40 for sliding movement thereon, and a coiled spring I4 interposed between this hub and a stop collar I6 urges the pressure plate 64 yieldably toward the clutch member 62 carried by the sprocket 48. The stop collar I is internally threaded for adjustment longitudinally on a threaded portion I8 of shaft 40 to increase or diminish the tension of spring I4 and consequently the amount of pull exerted on the weft strand Above the bearing 42, shaft 40 carries a roller 80 the hub of which is formed with a gear 82. Referring now to Fig. 8, gear 62 is meshed with a corresponding gear 84 on the lhllb of a roller 86 that yieldably opposes driving roller 80. The trunnions of roller 86 are journaled in anti-friction bearings 88 in the respective upper and lower arms 90 and 92 of a bifurcated slide 94 that is yieldably urged toward the driving roller 80. Slide 84 is carried in gibs 98 and is pressed towards roller 80 by a spring 88 seated in a recess in the slide with its outer end engaged with an abutment I00. When the ribbon-like weft strand A is being inserted between rollers 80 and 86 the slide 84 may be retracted by a suitable tool and by the take-ofl and tensioning assembly released after the strand has been desirably posi- 78 tioned, the tension of spring 38 being sumcient to being divided by a slot IIO (Fig. 4) to permit threading of the weft strand between said rollers I02. Carrier I08 is slidably mounted on guide rods I08 projecting horizontally from bosses I I2 on the adjacent portion of the machine and provided with stops i I4 at their outer ends. Springs II3, surrounding rods I08 between bosses [l2 and carrier I06 urge said carrier yieldably in a direction opposite to the line of travel of the weft strand A to tighten out slack therein by maintaining the strand taut between the point of en gagement with pre-shaper rollers I02 and the next or fiattener rollers to which the strand is moving. The guide tube I4 is mounted on the carrier I06 by means of a bracket II8. In this assembly, the rollers I02 are adapted to effect a preshaping of the round weft strand by partly reducing its horizontal diameter through a flattening of its sides prior to being compressed into a thin ribbon-like strand by the flattener assembly I8 that is intermediate the pre-shaper I6 and the tensioning take-01f 20 that draws the strand away from the fiattener I8.

Details of the flattener assembly I8 are shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. Driving shaft 52 of this assembly is reduced at its ends for journaling in a flxed upper bearing I I8 and a floating lower bear-.

ing I20, both of these bearings being of the antifriction type. The upper bearing '8 being held in a seat I H by a retainer plate I I9 and the lower bearing I20 which i floating is held in place by a nut I2 I screwed on shaft 52. Above upper bearing I i8 the driving shaft 52 has a disc-like roller I22 secured to it by a pin I24 and there is a housing I26 enveloping the major portion of this roller I22 as seen in Figs. 5 and 7. The driven roller I28 which opposes roller I22 is secured to the upper portion of an idle shaft I30 having shouldered end portions that are journaled in upper and lower anti-friction bearings I32 and I34 carried in the eccentric bore of a sleeve I36. The lower bearing I 34 which is floating is secured in place by a nut I33 screwed on shaft I30 and the upper bearing I32 is held on a seat I3I by a retainer plate I35. Between the bearings I32 and I34 shaft I30 is surrounded by a spacer tube I38 that is engaged at its ends with said bearings [32 and I34.

Means are provided for effecting the desirable degree of pressure between rollers l22 and i28 to compress the pre-shaped or partially flattened weft strand A into a thin ribbon-like form. For this purpose sleeve I36 is arranged for rotatlve adjustment in a cylindrical housing I40 having a bored transverse boss I48. Hollow blocks I42 and I44, have keyed connection as at I48 in the bore of boss I48 and have wedge faces N211 and I44a that are operable against the sleeve I36 as seen in Fig. 6. A rotatable clamp bolt I50 passes through the smooth bore of block I42 and screws into the threaded bore of block I44. The outer portion of bolt I50 beyond block I42 is enlarged at I52 to bear against the adjacent end of block I42 when bolt I50 is rotated to draw the blocks into frictional clamping engagement with sleeve I30. This clamping arrangement is at the center of length of sleeve I35 so as to force said sleeve against the housing wall opposing the rolling pressure. By backing up bolt I50 the clamp is released and sleeve I35 may be turned by a rotatable worm I54 meshed with a worm wheel or annular teeth I55 in channel I58 on the sleeve I35. Worm gear I54 is formed on a countershaft I60 journaled in bearings I52 and I54 at the ends of a horizontal boss I55 on housing I40, and the angular outer end I58 of said countershaft receives a suitable tool to turn the countershaft. Clamp bolt I50 also has an angular outer portion I10 to permit the use of a tool for rotating said clamp bolt to tighten or loosen the sleeve or cylinder I35 in which shaft I30 is eccentrically arranged. Thus the pressure between the weft flattener rollers I22 and I28 may be adjusted to the exact degree required for producing the thin ribbon-like weft strand.

The flattener assembly I8 pulls the weft strand A through the pre-shaper devices I5 to reduce the diameter of the round wire or the like by creating flat portions on opposite sides thereof, and when this pre-shaped strand is engaged by the flattener assembly the strand is further reduced in thickness to a thin ribbon-like weft member ready for use in a weaving machine which produces a woven screen with louver-like weft arrangement. The tensioning assembly provides a strand take-01f, and since its rollers 80 and 86 are preferably operated at-a peripheral rate of speed that is proportionately faster than the peripheral rate of speed of flattener rollers I22 and I28, the weft strand A is kept taut between these assemblies with slippage taking place in the friction clutch arrangement on the driving shaft 10 of the tensioning assembly 20.

Provision is made for heating the rollers I22 and I28 of the flattener assembly I8 to assist in the final step of preparing the ribbon-like strand. This is accomplished by means of suitable electric heating units I1I of annular shape that are carried in recesses I12 on the undersides of the housings I encompassing the flattener rollers I22 and I28. Binding posts I13, exterior to the housings are connected into the electric circuit that supplies the motor and other actuators with electric current. A safety device in the form of a micro-switch conventionally shown at I14 is interposed in the electric circuit to automatically out off the current in the event of breakage of the'weft strand. This switch has a protruding outwardly urged contact plunger I15 that is engaged by a switch operating arm I18 fulcrumed at one end on a pivot I80 and carrying a roller I82 at its other end that is engaged with the cam edge I84 of a bar I86 anchored to a side of the slidable carrier I 05 of the pre-shaper assembly I5. The pull exerted by the flattener rollers I22 and I28 on the strand A is yieldably tensioned by springs II3 that normally urge the carrier I05 in a direction away from the flattener assembly. If the tension is released due to breakage of the strand, the carrierwill move to the left (Fig. 2) and such movement causes the cam I84 to depress switch arm I18 thereby operating the conthat the wire strand A is flipped off a stationary reel or spool there is a twist in each coil leaving the reel. This would make it difficult to deliver a straight flat strand from the rolling mill assembly I8. By pre-flattening the strand before it reaches the rollers I22 and I28 of the mill this condition is overcome.

Qne of the rollers I02 is mounted on the eccentric portion I03 of a stud as seen in Fig. 4, to permit its bodily adjustment with respect to the opposing roller. With the arrangement shown, wherein the pre-shaping rollers I02 are mounted in the spring loaded carrier assembly I05 there is an actual stretch of the wire prior to its engagement by the final flattening rolls I22 and I28. The spacing of the pre-shaping rollers I02 is such that the pull required to draw the wire through this spacing exceeds the elastic limit of the strand. This back pull accomplishes an increase in the life of the flattening rollers I22 and I28 in addition to assuring a straight ribbon product. It is here stated that the ribbon produced is held within :.0002", and that this extremely close tolerance is in excess of the working clearance required for the sleeve I for turning in its housing I40.

While this invention has been described in detail in its present preferred form or embodiment, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art,

after understanding the improvements, that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. It is aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

I claim:

1. A rolling mill for producing a ribbon-like strand from a round strand comprising opposed idle shaping rollers for exerting initial compression on opposite portions of the round strand;

tact plunger to break the circuit through the motor and stop the rolling mill machine.

The pre-shaper assembly I5 performs an important function in the operation of the arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Due to the fact a reciprocable carrier supporting said rollers; yieldable means urging saidcarrier in a direction opposite to the line of travel of the strand past said shaping rollers; opposed flattener rollers acting on the strand to produce a ribbon-like strand, said flattener rollers being effective to pull the strand from said shaping rollers against the tension of the yieldable carrier thereby to rotatably drive said idle shaping rollers; and a tensioning take-ofi assembly including opposed rotatable strand engaging members beyond said flattener rollers; shafts carrying said strand engaging members, one of said shafts constituting a driving shaft; and means for effecting a driving connection between said shaft and said flattener rollers adapted to rotate said members at a peripheral speed faster than the peripheral speed of said flattener rollers, said driving connection means including friction devices adapted to provide slippage that is effective to maintain a constant tension on the strand.

2. A rolling mill for producing a ribbon-like strand from a round strand comprising opposed idle shaping rollers for exerting initial compression on opposite portions of the round strand; a reciprocable carrier supporting said rollers; yieldable means urging said carrier in a direction opposite to the line of travel of the strand past said shaping rollers; opposed fiattener rollers acting on the strand to further reduce it to ribbon-like dimensions, said flattener rollers being effective to pull the strand from said shaping rollers thereby to rotatably drive said idle shaping rollers; means for effecting adjustable relative movement between said flattener rollers for predetermining the thickness of the ribbon-like strand produced rollers; and means for effecting a driving connection between said shafts to rotate said members at a peripheral speed faster than the fperipheral speed of said flattener rollers, said driving connection means including friction devices adapted to provide slippage that is effective to maintain a constant tension on the strand between said fiattener rollers and the strand engaging members of the take-off assembly.

3. A rolling mill for producing a ribbon-like strand from a round strand of highly ductile metal which is unwound from a coil on a supply roll, comprising pro-shaping means defined by opposed idle shaping rolls' arranged to straighten the coil and partially flatten opposite portions of the straightened round strand; 2. reciprocable carrier supporting said idle rollers; yieldable means urging said carrier in a direction opposed to the line of travel of the strand past said shaping rollers; in combination with opposed flattener rollers acting on the partially flattened strand to produce a thin'ribbon-like strand, one of said flattener rollers being an idle roller, said flattener rollers being effective to pull the strand from said shaping rollers thereby to drive said idle shaping rollers; an idle shaft carrying said idle flattener roller; eccentrically arranged means journalling said idler shaft, said means being rotatively adjustable for predetermining the spacing of said flattener rollers and thereby the thickness of the ribbon-like strand; electromotive means driving one of said flattener rollers; circuit make and break means controlled by movement of said carrier out of normal position to break the circuit to said electromotive means; a tensioning takeofi assembly including rotatable strand-engaging members beyond said flattener rollers; and frictional clutch means providing a driving connection between said rotatable strand-engaging members and said driven flattener roller, said clutch means rotating said strand-engaging members at a faster peripheral speed than said flattening rollers for maintaining a taut pull on the strand moving away from said flattener rollers.

4. A rolling mill for producing a ribbon-like strand from a round strand of highly ductile metal which is unwound from a coil on a supply roll, comprising pre-shapin means defined by opposed idle shaping rollers arranged to straighten the coil and partially flatten opposite portions of the straightened round strand; and a reciprocable spring-packed carrier supporting said idle rollers, said carrier normally urged in a direction opposed to the line of travel of the strand past said shaping rollers; in combination with 0D- posed flattener rollers acting on the partially flattened strand to produce a thin ribbon-like strand, one of said flattener rollers being an idle roller, said flattener rollers being effective to pull the strand from said shaping rollers thereby to drive said idle shaping rollers; housing means enclosing said flattener rollers; heating means in said housing means close to said flattener rollers; an idle shaft carrying said idle flattener roller; an eccentrically bored sleeve journaling said idler shaft; means for rotating said sleeve to bodily move said idle flattener roller with respect to its opposed roller for predetermining the spacing of said flattener rollers and thereby the thickness of the ribbon-like strand; a prime mover driving one of said flattener rollers; control means responsive to movement of said carrier out of its normal position to efiect stoppage of the prime mover; a tensioning take-off assembly including rotatable strand-engaging members beyond said flattener rollers; and frictional clutch means providing a driving connection between said rotatable members and said driven flattener roller, said clutch means rotating said strand-engaging members at a faster peripheral speed than said flattening rollers for main-, taining a taut pull on the strand moving away from said flattener rollers.

5. A rolling mill for producing a ribbon-like strand from a round strand of highly ductile metal which is unwound from a coil on a supply roll, comprising pro-shaping means defined by opposed idle shaping rolls arranged to straighten the coil and partially flatten opposite portions 01' the straightened round strand; a reciprocable carrier supporting said idle rollers; and yieldable means urging said carrier in a direction opposed to the line of travel of the strand past said shaping rollers; in combination with opposed flattener rollers acting on the partially flattened strand to produce a thin ribbon-like strand, one of said flattener rollers being an idle roller, said flattener rollers being efiective to pull the strand from said shaping rollers thereby to drive said idle shaping rollers; means for heating said flattener rollers; an idle shaft carrying said idle flattener roller; an eccentrically bored sleeve journaling said idler shaft; means for rotating said sleeve to bodily move said idle flattener roller with respect to its opposed roller for predetermining the spacing of said flattener rollers and thereby the .said driven flattener roller, said clutch means rotating said strand-engaging members at a faster peripheral speed than said flattening rollers for maintaining a taut pull on the strand moving from said flattener rollers.

' CARL O; BRUESTLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 285,567 Carter Sept. 25, 1883 1,109,885 Webster Sept. 8, 1914 1,425,848 Gabrielson Aug. 15, 1922 2,072,831 Solenberger Mar. 2, 1937 2,170,732 Sendzimir Aug. 22, 1939 2, 19,665 Simons Oct. 29, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 437,591 Germany Nov. 23, 1926 

